Almost Lover
by MacyRay
Summary: Paul imprints on a girl no one expected and when weird, unexplainable things begin happening around La Push, the pack begins to wonder - just who is she? Is the imprint even real? Or is it all just a trick? (post-breaking dawn)
1. Chapter 1: Diner Girl

**The events of this story take place about 6 months after the events of Breaking Dawn.**

 **I'm pretty new to this whole fanfiction thing, so please read and review. I'd love to know what you think!**

* * *

" _This_ is the place Quil recommended?" Paul asked incredulously.

"Apparently," Jared raised an eyebrow at the interior of the restaurant. The floor of the 50's-style diner was checkered in black and white and the seats were covered in a tacky red vinyl. A Buddy Holly song that Jared remembered his mom liked listening to was playing over the radio.

"Hello," a cheery voice greeted Paul and Jared. The two Quileutes did a double take when they spotted the small girl standing in front of them. She wore a pink poodle-skirt with a matching pink top. Her hair was curled and she her lips were coated in a bright red lipstick. It was clear that she worked at the diner.

"Table for two?" She asked, looking down at the clipboard in her hands.

"Four, actually," Sam spoke as he walked through the door behind Paul and Jared, with an arm wrapped around Emily's waist.

"Of course," the hostess smiled at them, "right this way." She led them to a booth at the back of the restaurant. Sam let Emily slide into the booth first before sitting beside her, while Jared and Paul sat across from them. The hostess handed them their menus.

"You bunch have good timing. Got here just before the dinner rush," she commented before she walked away to deal with a new group of customers entering the restaurant.

Sure enough, the place filled up quickly. Paul groaned and rubbed his temple as the noise in the place grew steadily louder. He could tell Jared was annoyed too. The two of them had just gotten off patrol, and were tired and hungry.

"This place is terrible," Jared mumbled as a particularly loud group of teenagers were seated at a booth near them.

Emily shook her head at him, "I think this place is cute. I like how all the waitresses are wearing that same skirt and lipstick. It reminds me of the 50's."

Paul laughed, "You weren't even alive in the 50's."

Emily glared at him and he held up his hands as a sign of defeat. No one dared to argue with Emily.

"Plus, Quil said this place has the best milkshakes," Emily continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "And I _need_ a milkshake."

Sam smiled and kissed the side of Emily's head while resting a hand on her stomach. She wasn't really showing yet, but Emily was _definitely_ pregnant. Her weird cravings were enough proof of that. That's why they came here in the first place – Emily wanted a milkshake and a bunch of other food, but she wasn't able to cook it herself. The smell of raw foods made her sick. It was so bad that she was hardly able to cook for the pack at all anymore. None of them complained though, the instinct to protect the imprints was ingrained in all of them, and the pack members would rather go to their own houses to eat than to cause Emily to become sick.

Jared and Paul didn't necessarily have to accompany them to the restaurant, but they wanted to. They had both been around since the beginning of Sam and Emily – they had helped them through everything, including when Sam accidently phased and almost killed Emily. So, Jared and Paul felt particularly protective of this imprint. Though, they may also have come just because they were hungry and didn't want to cook for themselves.

Emily blushed as her stomach lowly growled. Normal ears probably wouldn't have even picked up the sound, but she was surrounded by three wolves. Paul was annoyed that a waitress hadn't even been to their table yet. He brought up two fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle, catching the attention of one waitress that was wearing the same poodle skirt and lipstick as all of the other girls. Her head whipped up at the noise and she glared in his direction for a moment before forcing a smile and heading over to their table.

"Paul," Emily chastised when suddenly Jared jumped in his seat.

"Hey," Jared looked wide-eyed at Emily, "what was that for?"

"Sorry, I was aiming for Paul." Emily nudged Sam until he kicked Paul under the table for her.

Paul was going to kick him back when they were interrupted.

"Sorry about the wait" the waitress paused as she dug her hands into the pockets of her apron, looking for her notepad and pen. As soon as she found them, she looked up again and turned towards Paul. "What can I get for ya?"

Paul opened his mouth to order, but the words escaped him as soon as he looked into _her_ eyes. Nothing else mattered then, not the loud patrons in the diner, not the emptiness in his stomach – all that mattered was her. He got lost in her eyes – eyes that were the color of whiskey, but not the cheap stuff he used to drink at parties. No, her eyes were made of the most expensive whiskey money could buy and he thought then that she might just make him an alcoholic.

The moment was ruined however, when she broke their contact by rolling her eyes. Paul remembered then that she had asked him a question and he stuttered as he tried to come up with an answer.

The waitress looked over to the others then, "Well, do you three – "

She was at least going to ask for their orders, but abruptly stopped when she saw that the three of them were completely focused on the other Quileute sitting with them. She was sufficiently annoyed now, "Great. Well next time, don't call me over unless you _actually_ need something. I'm pretty busy, in case you hadn't noticed."

As if on cue, one of the other patrons in the diner started yelling at the waitress, demanding a coffee refill, and she hurried away. Paul's eyes followed her every movement. When she disappeared into the kitchen, Paul stood up to follow her.

"Paul." Sam's rough voice cut through the silence that had overcome their table.

Paul realized what he had been about to do and quickly sat back down. It took everything in him to look away from the door she had disappeared behind and face his brothers and Emily.

Jared, Emily, and Sam all had completely different reactions to Paul's imprint. Jared and Emily were grinning from ear-to-ear; while Sam was wearily studying Paul's every movement. Everyone reacted differently to the imprint and Paul was undoubtedly the least predictable of the pack, even when they could read his mind. He rarely thought before he did anything, he just… _reacted_. Not this time though, Paul was too stunned to do much of anything. They all were.

"So…" Jared trailed off, an annoying smirk on his face. "You imprinted on a pale-face?"

Not liking how Jared was talking about his imprint, Paul let out a low growl and clenched his fists. There was the anger Sam had been waiting for. The anger was gone the moment it appeared though, as the kitchen door opened and _she_ stepped out.

"I don't know her name," Paul whispered. He watched his imprint as she balanced a tray piled high with food and drinks while she made her way to a table full of high school kids.

"It's Macy."

Paul faced Sam again, "How – ?"

He was interrupted by Jared's laugh. "Maybe if you spent a little less time staring into her eyes and a little more time _reading her nametag_ …" Jared shrugged.

Paul let out a warning growl and turned his attention back to his imprint, _Macy_. It was a sweet name, one that he was sure would roll easily off his tongue, but he didn't dare try and test that theory. Jared made that mistake when he first imprinted on Kim and the pack teased him about it for more than a month.

He focused on her movements instead. The tray she was carrying looked heavy, but each step she made was controlled and deliberate. He suddenly doubted that she had ever dropped a tray in her life. That confidence in his imprint quickly dissolved, however, when he saw the foot of one of the teenagers dart directly into her path. He gripped the end of the table as he readied himself to dart forward. If he was fast enough, he would be able to catch her. All too quickly, Sam grabbed Paul's wrist, causing him to hesitate, and Macy stepped right over the kid's foot. Paul let out a sigh when he realized she got lucky and missed.

All four of them watched closely as Macy handed out the food and drinks to the teenagers at the table. She served the boy who tried to trip her last and as she handed him his drink, the end of the glass nicked the table and fell into his lap. Paul felt oddly satisfied as the cold soda soaked into the boy's pants.

Macy's eyes went wide as she gasped, "I'm so _so_ sorry." She used some napkins to wipe up the table. "Let me go get you another drink."

As Macy stood up and walked towards the kitchen, a wide smile broke out on her face and she brought a hand up to cover a laugh. Paul realized then that her spilling the soda hadn't been an accident and that she had in fact noticed the boy trying to trip her.

"Looks like your imprint can take care of herself," Sam commented, having noticed the same things that Paul did.

The next time Macy exited the kitchen, she was carrying one soda and four waters. After giving the boy at the other table a new soda, she headed right for their table. Paul immediately sat up straighter and gave her his full attention. Macy gave them a small smile and dropped the water glasses onto the table.

"Look, guys," Macy sighed and tucked some hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. "If you don't order something soon I'm going to have to ask ya'll to leave. There are other people waiting to be seated."

"Well, what do you recommend?" Paul managed to ask smoothly. He found it was easy to talk to her, as long as he didn't let himself get lost in her eyes.

"I dunno," Macy pulled a face – Paul thought it was adorable. "I don't eat this crap."

"So…?" Macy trailed off, still looking for an answer.

Paul began to panic, he still hadn't looked at a menu and he had no idea what this place even offered.

"Hey, weren't you going to order the Swiss Burger?" Jared spoke up.

He sent Jared a thankful look before facing Macy again, "Yeah, I'll have the, uh, Swiss Burger."

Macy quirked an eyebrow and wrote down his order. Paul studied her as she took Jared's order next. He ordered some other type of burger, Paul thought. He wasn't really listening. Instead he was watching his imprint. Paul thought that she looked much better in that lipstick than all of the other girls did. She didn't look tacky like the hostess who greeted them, she looked, well – _sexy_.

"And what about you?" Macy turned her attention to Emily.

The three werewolves tensed, waiting for the usual reaction most people posed when confronted with Emily's scars for the first time. However, the girl showed no indication that she had even noticed the scars at all. Sam took the moment to study the girl further, noticing that there was a certain devil-may-care attitude about Macy, from her relaxed posture to the easy-going smile on her face. He doubted that anything would faze her, not even a giant werewolf in the room. He smirked, hoping it was true. It would provide a good balance to Paul's hot-headed and wound-up personality.

Emily cleared her throat and studied the menu she held open in front of her. "I'll have a large chocolate milkshake and – " she paused, thinking for a moment. "Do you serve breakfast all day here?"

Macy gave her a genuine smile then and Paul thought she looked beautiful. "Yes, we do."

"Great!" Emily perked up. "Then I'll have a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with a side of bacon and also some of your chili-cheese fries."

"Sure thing," Macy chuckled as she wrote down the order. "How far along are you?"

Emily's eyes widened as she looked down at her lap, for signs that she was showing.

"Don't worry; you haven't gained any weight that I can tell." Macy smiled again. "We just get a surprisingly large number of pregnant women in here looking for our milkshakes."

"Oh yeah, our friend Quil recommended them," Emily spoke again.

"Quil Senior or Junior? Because I told Quil Sr. he needs to lay off the shakes and fries." Macy joked, surprising them all. Not because she made a joke, but because she knew both Quil and his grandfather. Before they could say anything she spoke again. "Well, I'll go put these orders in and get your food out here _as soon as possible_." She shot Paul a look as she spoke her last words.

Paul watched her hips as she walked away. The skirt didn't reveal much, or really _anything_ , much to Paul's dismay. But he could tell that she had long legs under there and the way her hips swayed as she walked…

"Well, now I know why Quil likes this place so much," Jared interrupted Paul's thoughts. "She's got a great – "

Paul punched Jared in the shoulder before he could even finish that sentence. Jared tried to turn and hit him back, but the booth was so small that there was hardly any room for them to get in a good hit.

"Hey," Sam cut in. "Knock it off."

Paul gave Jared one last shove before sitting correctly in his seat again. The moment Sam stopped paying attention, Jared quickly smacked Paul upside the head. Emily just shook her head and fondly placed a hand on her stomach. With the pack around, it was already like she was in charge of eight children; surely one more wouldn't be too hard.

Just as Macy promised, their food was brought out quickly. As soon as she set the plates on the table, she gave them a small smile and asked if they needed anything else before hurrying off again. Only Sam noticed how her eyes lingered on Paul for a moment.

Sam and Paul both kept their eyes on Macy, each for different reasons; Jared was preoccupied with his food, while Emily studied Paul. It was like at weddings, when everyone watched the bride walk down the aisle, Emily liked to watch the groom. To see the utter love and devotion in his eyes as he too watches his bride before him. Emily had always wanted that kind of love, and she had found it. On her own wedding day, not too long ago, she remembered the look she saw in Sam's eyes. She had never felt more beautiful or loved than she did in that moment. And she loved seeing that same look in the wolves and their imprints, to know that the most important people in her life were as happy as she was.

"You know it's weird," Jared mumbled with a mouthful of food. "She doesn't seem to feel the imprint at all" he gestured in Macy's direction where she was taking another table's order. He remembered when he first imprinted on Kim and she couldn't take her eyes off of him or stop blushing whenever he was within 10 feet of her. Of course, Kim also happened to already have a crush on him before he even knew her name, so maybe that had something to do with it.

"No, she feels it." Even though Sam spoke quietly, his voice commanded the same respect that it always had. "She keeps sneaking glances at Paul."

It was subtle, but Sam had noticed. He had been watching the girl ever since Jared had pointed out that she was a pale-face. That fact was obvious enough, but it got Sam thinking that they knew nothing about her. She was an outsider. But she was also an imprint, _Paul's imprint_ , surely that made her trust-worthy. If anyone was more protective of the reservation, it was Paul, so it wouldn't make sense for his imprint to be a threat to their people. Still, the stand-off with the Volturi, even though it happened over six months ago, plagued Sam's thoughts. This weird, vampirey world was more dangerous than they all had originally thought, and he could never be too careful.

Jared shrugged and was going to return to his meal when he noticed that Paul hadn't taken a bite of his food yet. Nudging his friend, Jared momentarily drew Paul's attention away from his imprint and encouraged him to eat. While keeping an eye on Macy, Paul took a bite of his burger, but he quickly dropped it back onto his plate and began to cough when he tasted it. Jared laughed loudly beside him. Taking a large drink of water, Paul tried to wash the taste from his mouth. He removed the top bun and grimaced when he found mushrooms underneath. He hated mushrooms. Jared, who knew that, was laughing so hard that tears were falling down his cheeks. Once again, only Sam noticed the worried look Macy sent Paul's way when he began to cough or the curious look when he picked out the mushrooms.

"What?" Jared laughed; completely unfazed by the glare Paul was sending his way. "It's not my fault you didn't read the menu."

Paul just grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and returned to eating his now mushroom-free burger. After removing the mushrooms from his food, Paul made quick work of his burger. He tried to eat slowly, so he could be around her for just a little while longer, but he was hungry, _very hungry_ , and could only eat so slow. All too soon, everyone had finished eating, and although Paul was happy when Macy came to their table again, he didn't like that she was there to take away their plates and give them the check.

"Don't worry," Emily placed a hand on Paul's shoulder as they walked through the parking lot towards Sam's car. "You'll see her again soon."

"Maybe sooner than you think," Jared gestured towards the side of the diner.

Macy had just ended her shift and was also walking towards her car at the back of the parking lot. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder and pulled towards the front of her body where she was digging in one of the pockets, looking for her keys.

Macy realized a little too late that looking down and not paying attention in the middle of the parking lot wasn't her best idea. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, it wasn't a car that ran into her during her moment of distraction.

Paul let out a growl when he saw the boy that had tried to trip his imprint earlier leave his group of friends and run up to Macy.

"Connor," Macy greeted, trying to keep the look of annoyance off of her face when she almost ran into the boy in front of her. It had been a long day and she did not have the patience to deal with his advances right now.

Connor smiled and leaned casually on the car beside him. He had stopped in front of Macy while she had been walking in-between two cars, effectively trapping her and giving her no other option than to talk to him. "So, have you been thinking any more about my question?"

May sighed and fought the urge to roll her eyes, something she had been doing a lot recently. "I told you no, not – "

"Yeah," Connor interrupted, "but by 'no' I just assumed you meant 'I'm busy Friday night, but I'll think about it'."

"And you thought tripping me was the way to convince me?," Macy smirked and pushed past him, continuing towards her car.

Connor continued on as if he hadn't heard her. "C'mon its Friday night and," he held his arms out and gestured to her standing alone at her car, "you don't look very busy."

Just as she opened her mouth to retort, another voice called out her name. When she turned, Macy saw two of the Quileutes from the restaurant jogging up to her car. She just stared, confused, as one leaned on the hood of her jeep and the other stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, making his biceps appear even larger.

"Were still on for tonight, right?" One of the guys asked.

Macy's eyes widened as she realized what they were doing. "Yeah, yes. Definitely."

The two Quileutes and Macy awkwardly glanced at Connor then, hoping he caught the hint. The second Quileute, the _cuter_ one, in Macy's opinion, spoke then. "So, uh, who's the dude?" He asked Macy.

She crossed her arms then, mimicking his position. "No one," she shrugged. "He was just leaving."

Finally he seemed to catch the hint. "Well," Connor forced a smile as he backed away, "Next time then."

"No, not next…" Macy trailed off as she realized he had turned away and was no longer listening to her. "Whatever," She sighed, unlocking her car, when she realized the two Quileutes where still standing at the front of her car.

"Uh, thanks…." She trailed off, realizing she didn't even know their names.

"Jared," The one leaning against her car smiled at her.

"Paul," The second uncrossed his arms.

"Thanks, Jared and Paul," She smiled at them. Paul was still looking at her and she shuffled her feet, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze and resisting the urge to stare back at him.

"Yeah," Jared stood suddenly, sensing the awkwardness in the air, "no problem." He put and hand on Paul's shoulder and forcefully guided him away from Macy's jeep.

Letting out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding, Macy threw her backpack into the jeep before climbing in herself.

Paul dragged his feet as he walked away from his imprint for the second time that night and resisted the urge to turn around. He wasn't used to the pull that the wolves felt when they were away from their imprints, though he had heard it was always worse in the beginning. He turned slightly, Jared's hand on his shoulder keeping him moving forward, as he heard a car start up behind him. Macy's jeep was pulling out of the parking lot. He didn't know anything about her other than her name was Macy, she worked at a diner in Forks, and she drove a blue jeep; and yet he yearned to be near her. It was driving him mad.

"Paul," Sam caught his attention as they neared his car. A rare smile crossed Sam's face as he inclined his head towards the nearby forest.

Returning his grin, Paul took a quick look around for wandering eyes before he disappeared behind the trees and shed his clothes as he took off running in the direction Macy has just taken.


	2. Chapter 2: A Blessing in Disguise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, only what you don't recognize.**

 **A/N: Kinda a short chapter but it seemed like the best place for a break. On the plus side, I hope to update again soon!**

 **Note:** ** _Italics_** **= flashback**

* * *

 _Everything around him seemed different, but he knew it wasn't. The school was the same, the students were the same, even the rain was the same. The only thing that had changed was him._ _ **He**_ _was different and so everything else felt different too. Over the past two weeks, he spent the first as a wolf and the second trying not to turn back into a wolf, a task that seemed especially difficult for him. He had always been angry, but that anger had been amplified once he changed. It was easier as a wolf, his emotions weren't the same. Something that made him angry as a human would go away as soon as he phased into a wolf. At least, that is what happened most of the time. Sometimes his wolf was angry too. But now he had to concentrate on not making either side of him angry. Sam had finally trusted him enough to return to school, though he would've been happy skipping for a while longer. He was dreading his return for several reasons, but he knew he had to come back eventually._

 _He walked past the dull yellow lockers, the lockers that were the same but different, and tried to keep his head low._

 _"Paul?" A voice called that he might not have picked up without his newly enhanced hearing. "Paul!" The voice sounded surer now, like it took a moment for them to recognize him._

 _Paul supposed he did look different now. He was certainly bigger, and not at all in a bad way, the one perk of being a werewolf. He kept walking past the voice; he wasn't allowed to hang out with his old friends anymore. A choice he didn't like but… alpha's orders. Sam said he didn't want to risk Paul hurting anyone or risk anyone finding out their secret. Jared had to follow the same rules._

 _The one downside to his new size appeared when Paul realized he couldn't hide or disappear in the crowded halls of the school._

 _"Paul," the voice called again and a small hand gripped his wrist._

 _He couldn't help but turn around then. All of his friends stood there, just staring at him, wondering why he disappeared for two weeks, why he hadn't been talking to them. Sarah, the girl holding his wrist, had dark circles under her eyes, along with some of the others. No doubt they were partying the night before. He could still smell the alcohol on some of them. Paul wished he could have been with them, wished he could have spent two weeks forgetting his responsibilities instead of having more just shoved in his face. He never wanted this, he didn't ask for this. But it was his, whether he liked it or not, that much was clear. Just slightly, he began to shake, but was too caught up in his thoughts to notice. He was overwhelmed with thoughts on his choices, or more accurately, his lack thereof. All of his frustrations on suddenly having his life decided for him were hitting him. Sarah released his wrist as Paul began to shake more._

 _"Hey," Paul was suddenly grabbed and pulled around the corner to a more secluded area of the school. He looked up and saw Jared standing before him._

 _"Calm down." Jared's voice was firm. It reminded him of Sam._

 _They were more or less alone now and Paul groaned as he leaned his forearms on the wall and held his face in his hands. It took him several minutes to calm down, well past the tardy bell, but Jared remained by his side. Once his breathing was under control, Paul silently stood up straight._

 _"It'll get better." Was all Jared said._

 _Paul seriously doubted that._

* * *

It wasn't long after he phased that Paul could feel his mind merging with those out on patrol, Jake and Seth.

'Dude, you imprinted?' Jacob's voice echoed through their minds.

Paul was never very good at hiding his thoughts and it was especially hard now that he was looking for _her_.

'Congratulations, man.' Seth's thoughts were sincere, but Paul thought he detected a hint of jealousy there too. Though it was hard to tell, Seth was good at hiding his thoughts, he learned it from Leah.

Not having anything to say, Paul ignored them and kept running down the Forks highway. Paul didn't even know what he thought about the imprint, he just knew that he wanted to see her again.

'She probably goes to Forks High School' Jake's thoughts were always loud 'Maybe Bella knows – '

'No' Paul tried to put an end to those thoughts; he could see where they were going.

'But –'

'No. No vampires.' Paul didn't care that the Cullens were supposedly their friends now. He didn't trust vampires. Vegetarian or not, he knew the instinct to kill was still there. He knew this because he felt the same instinct; he'd fought with it every day since he first phased.

Shutting out Jake and Seth as best he could, Paul continued running. He considered himself lucky and thanked the spirits when he caught her scent as a car drove by on the highway. Paul followed the Jeep and saw Macy behind the wheel. It was an unusually dry night, though Paul could feel the rain clouds moving in, and the windows of the Jeep were rolled down. Her scent of strawberries and mint and the soft sound of the radio drifted out of the open windows. The dense Washington forest provided ample cover for Paul to run alongside the Jeep as it drove down the highway towards the north-western side of Forks. Just when Paul thought she might keep driving towards the reservation, Macy pulled off the highway and onto a small road that was dimly lit with a few street lights. They passed a few scattered houses that seemed to be nestled into the forest. Though, to be honest, most homes in Forks and La Push sat right up against the forest, except for the small suburban areas near the center of town.

Macy drove her jeep down to the last house on the end of the street. It was a small, two-story home that was almost as wide as it was tall. Though the building was noticeably old, the bricks still held their deep red color and the front and back porches were sturdy and made of a darkly stained wood. Trees hugged closely to the sides of the house, but the front and back of the house were left open. The front of the home was easily visible from the street and behind the house the trees were cut back so there was a small clearing between the back porch and the treeline.

Pulling up the driveway on the left of the house, Macy parked in front of the garage and rolled up the windows of her Jeep, knowing that the rain would surely come sooner or later. That was the first thing she noticed about Forks, the rain. It never seemed to stop, and when it did, it was never gone for long. Sure enough, it started to rain almost as soon as Macy exited the Jeep. She grabbed her backpack that was resting in the passenger seat and slung it over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her with her elbow.

Now, Macy already hated the poodle skirt her boss made her wear to work every day, but her hate amplified even more when that skirt got caught in the car door, causing Macy to trip and almost fall as she walked away from the Jeep.

Paul, having seen the entire thing from his hiding place behind the trees, couldn't help but let out a laugh that sounded more like a snort in his wolf form. Since the trees ran so close to the house, Macy had heard the noise, or thought she heard something at least. Her head whipped to the side and her eyes scanned the treeline, Paul crouched lower and lay still. His grey coat was lighter than a lot of the others, making him easier to spot in the dark. Luckily, Macy was distracted by a sudden bolt of lightning and her attention immediately returned to freeing her skirt. She ran inside after that, and Paul was left straining his ears to listen, since he could no longer see her.

He tried to pick out clues. He heard muffled voices, doors opening and closing, and even someone, presumably Macy, running up and down the stairs. Just as Paul was starting to grow frustrated, he heard a door at the back of the house opening and Macy's scent filled the air, along with another that he didn't recognize. Crouched low, Paul crawled over towards the back of the house so that he could see her. The first thing he noticed was that she had changed out of her ridiculous pink clothes and into some tights and a hoodie. Her hair was still pulled up but the wind was blowing a few strands around her face. She stood on the porch, out of the rain, and was looking towards the backyard. That's when Paul realized where the other scent had come from. A medium-sized dog was roaming around the clearing behind the house. He had a short white coat that was covered in brown spots, and a bright orange collar around his neck. The dog stiffened when the wind picked up and changed direction.

Most dogs ran when they smelled the werewolves, though rather it was towards or away from the wolf was completely dependent on the dog. This one let out a slight growl as he crouched low, leaned forward, and slowly lifted one of his front paws off the ground.

"Duke?" Macy's voice broke through the wind.

The dog, Duke's, ears perked up, but his nose remained pointed in Paul's direction. Paul himself was tense, ready to run deeper into the woods to keep from being discovered.

Macy laughed under her breath, and Paul wondered why she wasn't worried about her dog's weird, or at least he thought it was weird, behavior.

"Hey," Both the dog and wolf could since the commanding tone in her voice. Duke turned to look at her and left Paul behind and ran up onto the porch when she whistled.

Paul watched as Macy kneeled onto one knee and scratched her dog behind the ears as she spoke softly to him. "Do you smell some quail?"

Duke's eyes remained looking in Paul's direction and Macy smiled when she noticed, not even guessing that it was a wolf hiding behind the trees.

"C'mon," Macy stood and patted her thigh to catch Duke's attention again. "Let's go inside. I promise I'll take you hunting tomorrow."

Once she was behind the closed doors of the house, she was out of his sight again, but not for long. Soon after Macy disappeared inside, Paul heard her footsteps on the stairs and saw a light turn on from the opposite side of the house. Paul took care to stay under the tree cover as he made his way around the corner. When he came to the right side of the house, Paul saw a light shining out of a second-story window. The trees were thicker on this side of the house, allowing Paul to move closer to his imprint without risk of being spotted.

Through the window he could see parts of what looked like a bedroom. There was a desk sitting against one wall and a pile of boxes stacked underneath the window. Paul came to the conclusion that Macy must have moved here recently. It made sense, considering that La Push and Forks were both relatively small towns and Paul had never seen her before.

'Yeah, but Jared had never noticed Kim until he imprinted, and they've both lived in La Push their whole lives.' Seth added mater-of-factly.

Paul groaned, he had forgotten about the two on patrol.

'Forks High is a small school, Bella would know…' Jake added.

'Jake,' Paul complained. 'You imprinted on her freaking _daughter_ and you still talk about Bella all the damn time.'

It drove Paul insane. More so when Jake used to helplessly pine over the girl, but still… old habits died hard he supposed.

'She's my best friend,' Jake grumbled. 'So sue me.'

'And hey, you're thoughts are all full of _Macy_ now.' Seth teased. 'So you can hardly complain.'

Paul mentally rolled his eyes and tried to block them out of his thoughts again. He was getting better at controlling things like his anger and his mind. Paul figured that since all the vamp-craziness had died down, he now had time to focus on things like that.

'Leah says it's because there's nothing left that you haven't gotten pissed at already.'

'Yeah? Well Leah's a –'

'Ok, ok.' Jake stopped Paul from taking that sentence any further. 'We'll leave you alone now.'

Paul sighed as he could feel his brothers' thoughts fading slightly from his. They were still there, but just in the back of his mind. He took that moment to lie down underneath the trees and rest his head on his paws. Now able to focus solely on his imprint, his eyes drifted upward in search of her. He frowned when he could not see her through the window. The moment Macy did appear, his ears perked up and his tail twitched. To Paul's disappointment she disappeared again almost immediately. Then she was back again, and then gone again. Paul realized she was pacing.

There was a slight crease between her brows as she stared at her feet. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something when suddenly her pacing stopped. Macy came to an abrupt halt and turned her head toward the window. Paul tensed, thinking she had spotted him. He was soon reassured, however, when she approached one of the boxes beneath her window instead. Macy opened the box and began rifling through its contents, pulling random objects from the box as she went. Paul was surprised, if not amused, when she picked up an old, worn-out teddy bear and just held it in her arms for a moment. Then followed a picture frame, though it was facing the wrong way for Paul to see what the picture was. Macy smiled at it before placing the frame on the window-sill by the bear.

Her search seemed to come to an end when Macy pulled what looked like a book from the box. The cover was a purple velvet but there were no words on the cover that Paul could see. She held it in her hands for a moment and pursed her lips, as if she was thinking. Almost determinedly, Macy turned to her desk and sat with the book in front of her as she grabbed a pen and opened the cover.

Macy sat there and wrote, that's all she did, but Paul was absolutely mesmerized by her. And as he sat there watching her, all he could think was that: He imprinted **on** _her_.

In truth, Paul wasn't sure what to think of the imprint. He wasn't really looking for a relationship and plus, he hardly even knew this girl and yet he couldn't stop thinking about her. Paul supposed he didn't have to _date_ her – he could just get to know her, become her friend. That didn't sound so bad. And anyway, when he first phased – he hated being a wolf and all the responsibilities that came with it. He'd had to give up his friends and his plans for the future but he'd grown to love that change too. He had more than friends now, he had _brothers_ and sure, being a part of the pack meant remaining behind in La Push and protecting his people, but now he couldn't think of a better, more meaningful way to live his life. Maybe this imprint would turn out to be the same – a blessing in disguise. The old Paul would've been angry, would've tried to fight the imprint – but he'd grown up a lot recently. Sure, he was still the most volatile of the pack, but he'd been working on that.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed my last chapter. Please don't forget to do so again!**


	3. Chapter 3: Quil's what now?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, duh.**

 **A/N: So sorry for the late update! I've actually had the majority of this chapter written for a while, but for whatever reason just couldn't write the last scene. So instead I just decided to update what I have written and leave the rest as a problem for later!**

* * *

Paul found himself at Sam and Emily's the next morning. He had gotten there early, in hopes of catching some more sleep, but Emily was having a good morning free of morning sickness and a not-sick Emily meant food. Apparently word had gotten around that Em was making muffins and half the pack had shown up. They had all gathered in the living room after Emily kicked them out of the kitchen, complaining about them crowding her.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Embry kicked Paul's foot.

Paul had been leaning back on the couch with his eyes shut, not staring towards the kitchen and drooling like everyone else. Jared stifled a laugh while Seth sat quietly, hoping not to draw attention to himself. Seth was never very good at keeping secrets; he didn't want to have to lie if he was asked about Paul.

"Do you know something?" Embry asked Jared.

Paul opened his eyes then, just to glare at Jared and everyone else in the room. Luckily, they were saved by Emily.

"Leave Paul alone," She chastised, "I'm sure he's just tired." All attention was suddenly on Emily and the large tray of fresh muffins in her hands. Brady started to reach for one when she pulled the tray away. Brady pouted.

" _Behave_ while we're gone," Emily waited for them all to nod before she finally set down the food and left with Sam. She had some sort of doctor's appointment this morning to check on the baby.

The entire tray only lasted a few minutes before it was empty. Without food to distract them, all attention was focused back on Paul again, who didn't even fight with Jared over the last muffin.

"Seriously," Embry just wouldn't let it go. "What's wrong with you? We're all going to find out when you phase anyways."

Mindreading only came in handy when they were hunting vampires, otherwise it was just annoying. Right now, Paul wasn't so sure that the benefits outweighed the downsides.

Sighing, Paul realized that he might as well just get it over with.

"I imprinted," Paul mumbled. If he wasn't in a room full of wolves, he didn't think anyone would have heard him.

The room grew quiet for a moment, and then suddenly burst when everyone started firing off questions at the same time. They were mostly questions on who she was, if they knew her, and how it happened. Brady even asked if this was a joke. Paul barely registered when he heard the back door opening.

"Hey, hey," Jared spoke above the others. "Chill out." He motioned for Paul to continue.

"She, um," Paul ran a hand through his hair. "She works at a diner in Forks. Her name's Macy."

" _What?!_ " A new voice interrupted from the hallway. Everyone turned to see an angry Quil shaking and being held back by a confused Leah.

* * *

Macy wasn't sure why she was here, in this part of the La Push Reservation. She only came when her dad asked her to, and she certainly never visited _here_ alone. Trying to remember the way, Macy navigated between the headstones. Graveyards always gave her a weird feeling when she thought about all the bodies buried underneath her feet. Each and every body had its own life, its own story, its own soul. Macy shivered and crossed her arms over her chest.

Just when she thought she was lost, she found it. Under the shadow of a large oak tree sat her mother's grave. Macy just stood there and shuffled her feet, not entirely sure why she had come here in the first place. Maybe it was because she wanted someone to talk to. Macy was close with her father, but they didn't talk like they used to. She knew he was keeping something from her.

And her mother, well, Macy only had vague memories of her. She wasn't even sure if some of those memories were real, or something her childish mind created to help fill in the gaps. Her mother had died when she was so young, and father didn't talk about her much. But, Macy knew he loved her mother, and she loved him, very much. She remembered how he would always bring her flowers, just because he liked the way she smiled at him. Macy remembered her hair was soft and shiny, and her voice was smooth like honey. Her mother used to sing to her and tell her old stories. She had long forgotten the details of those stories, but the feelings of wonder and excitement at her mother's words still lingered.

Macy sighed. She had gone so long without a mother, convincing herself that a father was enough. And he was a great dad, the best even. Hell, they had even survived the awkward "I think I need a bra" and first-period-phase together. But for whatever reason, that gap – that missing mother figure and example – had seemed to have grown as of late. Frowning, Macy looked at the forest around her. Perhaps it was the closeness to her heritage that was bringing about these feelings; a heritage that she knew almost nothing about.

While Macy stood silently by the grave, an old Chevy passed by on the road. Jacob, the driver of the truck, did a double take.

"Hey, that Paul's imprint." Though Jake had never seen her in person, he had seen her plenty of times in Paul's mind the night before. "I wonder what she's doing out here…"

"Slow down," Billy Black placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder and leaned towards the window. "She looks just like her mother."

Jake wasn't sure he was meant to hear that last comment, but he replied anyways. "Her mother?"

Jacob knew that graveyard; his own mother was buried there, just on the other side of the oak. In fact, all of the Quileute elder's families were buried in that area…

"That's where the Aterea's are buried…" Jake's mind was quickly figuring out just who this girl was.

"Yes," his father confirmed. "She's Quil's – "

* * *

"My cousin?!" Quil was still shaking. "You imprinted on my _cousin_?"

"Your – " Paul let out a sigh of relief. "Your cousin?"

"Yes!" Quil was still yelling.

Paul let out a laugh. "From the way you reacted, I thought she was your girlfriend or something…"

He was insanely relieved she was not. That relief was quickly replaced with a growing anger when Quil shoved Paul.

"Hey, man, watch it." Paul warned as he shoved Quil in return. "At least she's not six."

Was that comment out of line? Probably. Did Paul care? No.

Quil growled and launched himself at Paul, sending both of them to the dirt. At least the boys had the sense to move the fight outside. Meanwhile, all the other wolves were in the Uley home, crowding around the back windows, watching the fight unfold.

"Twenty bucks says Paul is the first to phase." Embry, the known gambler of the pack, waved a twenty in the air.

Jared scoffed, "Seriously? I'm surprised he hasn't phased _yet_."

"I'll take that bet!" Collin, the youngest of the pack, announced. He spit in his palm before shaking Embry's hand.

"Rookie mistake, kid." Jared shook his head disapprovingly.

Leah, who could've cared less about the fight, rolled her eyes and wandered into the kitchen. She knew the plate full of muffins would be gone by now, but she also knew Emily always kept a few extras stashed away. She hid them in the oven, a place the boys would never think to look, for several reasons.

1\. The oven was too low to the ground, the boys preferred snooping around in the higher cabinets.

2\. The boys didn't cook, they had no reason to open the oven.

and 3. It already smelled like muffins, or whatever Emily had just baked, so they weren't suspicious if their noses led them there.

It was the perfect hiding place, really. Too bad it didn't work against Leah. She smirked to herself as she pulled out the extra plate and helped herself. She barely had time to enjoy the first bite before Jacob Black was bursting through the front door.

"Hey!" He yelled. "I know who Paul's imprint is. She's – "

"Quil's cousin," the entire pack answered together, eyes still glued to the window. "We know."

"How – ?" Jacob paused his question when he heard the tell-tale sounds of fighting coming from the back yard. He rushed towards the window. "Why are you guys just watching? And where's Sam?"

"He took Em to her doctor's appointment." Brady raised his head from where it was squished between Collin and Jared.

'Well, at least they're not fighting in the house,' Jake thought, as he pushed open the back door and stormed into the yard. "Hey, break it up!" He yelled, as he heard groans and complaints coming from inside the house.

Paul and Quil, of course, did not listen. It took longer than Jake liked to admit to break apart the two. Finally, he was able to push Quil behind him while he held Paul back with a hand on his chest. He could feel Paul shaking under his palm. "Get ahold of yourself, man. You have an imprint now, you can't keep doing this."

Paul groaned and turned his back on them, while taking a few steps away. Jake could see him clenching and un-clenching his fists as he took deep breaths.

Quil scoffed, and was about to make retort when Jake beat him to it. "And you, it's not like Paul can take back the imprint. So just… get over it."

Jake glared at the windows as he heard snickers coming from inside. "And _who_ is supposed to be on patrol right now?"

The laughter immediately stopped as Embry and Collin shuffled out the backdoor and ran into the woods. It was times like this that made Jacob not at all envious of Sam's alpha status. It almost made it seem more like a baby-sitting job than anything else and he had enough on his hands trying to keep up with his little vampire-hybrid.


End file.
